Bromsgrove graffiti vandals caught and forced to clean up the mess

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These tags were found on the wall of a house in Birmingham Road, Bromsgrove. s

TWO VANDALS who plagued Bromsgrove with graffiti tags over the last 15 months have been tracked down by police and will now be tasked with cleaning up their eyesore creations.

The teenagers, one 16 and the other 17, had a supprise visit at their home addresses on Sunday (March 9).

The duo have now agreed, as a part of a community resolution, they will each pay £50 to compensate some of their victims, as well as clean up the mess.

Residents complained about graffiti tags appearing on homes and public property throughout the district at a St John’s PACT (Partners and Communities Together) meeting last month, making the issue a policing priority.

PC Harding, who launched the investigation into the graffiti taggers and visited them at their home addresses, said the youths, who were friends, had admitted they were out in the town largely between midnight and 2am causing the mess.

"Due to the times they were out doing this they didn’t think they would be caught so they were pretty shocked when we turned up on their doorsteps.

"They have been co-operative and there has been an acceptance by them that they have upset a lot of people and put us through a lot of time and trouble.

"Due to their ages it was felt that a community resolution was the most appropriate way of dealing with it on this occasion and it also means that as part of the redress they will be joining a district council cleaning team to remove their own graffiti.

"I’m sure that will also bring it home to them just how labour-intensive an exercise removing this graffiti can be.

"Hopefully people should notice a big difference now they have been tracked down and once their handiwork has been removed."

Coun Margaret Sherrey, responsible for community safety, said the lesson that vandalism would not be tolerated needed to be learnt.

"Graffiti costs us all and I hope that by going around with our clean-up team the culprits will have their eyes opened to the effect their actions have on everyone," she added.

Coun Helen Jones, who had been campaigning on behalf of annoyed residents, said: "All we wanted was a stop to the eyesore graffiti and some justice, so I am happy at the outcome -hopefully that’s the end of it."

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These tags were painted onto a wall near the Slug and Lettuce pub in the High Street.